Clarity
by crystalessence
Summary: For thousands of years the Assassins and Templars have waged a bloody war. Blake was different all she has ever wanted in her life was the ability to escape the pain and death that has surrounded her since birth. Now a fresh Master Assassin, Blake is given the task to protect someone who could give her a chance to end the war, and possibly even end her own loneliness. BlakexRuby
1. Chapter 1

**Clarity**

**Why are you my Clarity?**

** Chapter 1**

**Nothing is true.**

_**Authors Note: Welcome to my first cross over fiction! Long story short I have been playing so much Assassins Creed IV Black Flag that I decided to write my very own RWBY, AU ,Pirate, Crossover!. Hope you all enjoy!**_

_City of Vale 1715 _

From her high perch atop a bell tower, Blake Belladonna looked down upon the port city of Vale. Contempt burning in her amber eyes as she glared through the darkness and rainfall towards the great cathedral that stood near the cities center. Her target lay inspecting within, praying to a God that would do nothing to save him.

"Are you ready?" a firm male voice whispered from beside her. Blake turned her attention the familiar face of her mentor, Adam Taurus, a man highly regarded as one of the best Assassins in all of Remnant.

He towered over Blake's small form and was dressed in the same trademark robes of their order that she herself wore, however instead of the white hood of a standard member of their order, like the one that Blake wore, Adam's hood was black with white trim this unique difference marked him as the regional mentor to all Assassins within the city of Vale.

"Hey, are you paying attention Belladonna?" He whispered tersely, reaching out to give the younger Assassin's arm a small shake to get her attention. Blake started at the touch then nodded once to signify she had indeed heard him. Adam flashed her his familiar frown and a look that told her that he didn't quite believe her.

"Alright, just to be sure go over the details of the mission one more time."

Blake huffed with annoyance, even after all this time he still treated her as one would treat a disobedient child however now was not the time to argue with him about such trivialities. With a long drawn out sigh she began to recount their reason for being atop the bell tower.

"Mentor, we are after a man by the name of Stephane Merchant. He is a well-known trader in the area and is rumored to have connections to the Templar order and more importantly it has been said that he has actually met with their Grandmaster. He a-"

"And why does him meeting with the Grandmaster have anything to do with us?" Adam asked now in full teacher mode. Blake had to struggle to keep from rolling her ayes in exasperation as she continued.

"That is simple Mentor, as you and I both know ever since the death of the last Templar Grandmaster no Assassin has been able to discover the identity of his successor and as such we have been as of yet unable to weaken the Templar influence any further for the last several years."

Adam nodded , seemingly satisfied with her answer. He then moved to kneel next to her underneath the archway that was their only protection from the rain that now poured down upon the city.

"Well done, now what is our plan of attack?"

"Mentor do we really need to-

"Yes Blake we do, you have been rather spacey as of late and I would like to affirm that you have indeed been paying attention and see that your skills have not dulled, though I can clearly see that your mouth is still as smart as ever."

Blake felt her temper spike at his accusation but she got it under control almost as soon as it appeared and continued to go over the plan.

"We learned from our sources that Merchant frequents this cathedral every Sunday evening for confession with his priest. We are to go in and pretend to be parishioners then when he gets up to go to confession we are to tail him. Once he is alone I am to deal with his guards while you knock him out and then we ship him off to Beacon for questioning by our Master. Above all we are not to harm him in any way. "

Adam nodded as he turned his gaze from Blake and onto the torrential downpour was falling upon the sleeping city of Vale. His mouth thinned into a dark grimace which Blake had come to associate with what she called his "Mission Face"

"Let's go."

With that he dove off the building and into a haystack below. Blake rolled her eyes again as she followed suit, her mentor always did have a flare for the dramatic. This was going to be an easy mission and better yet it might even get her out of this Godforsaken city. Away from the violence and most of all away from the dozens of pirate crews that ran about the city causing mayhem wherever they went.

_To bad more of them aren't Templars, I could wipe such scum away and the world be a much safer place. _With a shake of her head she tried to keep her thoughts clear as she ran up the nearest wall, reaching up to grab the nearest handhold, and began climbing up to the roof.

The run to the cathedral was uneventful if a bit of a chore. Running across the rooftops felt wonderful, she had always relished the feeling of danger that accompanied her when she made her way across the cities landscape.

Combining that feeling of danger with the feeling of the night air whipping by , the wind and the rain caressing her face as she ran, Blake couldn't remember a time when had felt more free. The only downside had been the rain and as such by the time she had gotten to her destination she was soaked to the bone. Adam shook his head disapprovingly but kept his mouth shut as he ushered her into the building.

Blake was instantly reminded why she despised churches. The second she entered the wave of incense, muttered prayers, and hypocrisy hit her like a ton of bricks. It was a wonder that she didn't lose her head right then in there, though her mentors comforting hand upon her shoulder probably had something to do with that.

The pair of them split up in the main antechamber. With Adam ducking into the priest's assigned room of the confessional, a muffled groan signaling her mentor making short work of the corrupted pastor.

Meanwhile Blake walked somberly towards a pew in the middle of church, taking great care to keep her eyes peeled for their target from under her hood. With a bated breath She proceeded to kneel and fold her hands in mock prayer as she continued to scan the pews of this mostly empty church for her quarry. Thankfully it didn't take long for her to lay eyes upon her target, sitting just three pews in front of where she currently sat.

He was a short, wiry man in his mid-thirties with rich brownish red hair and eyes that were sharp and cold. He was flanked on either side by guards dressed in the uniform of the regional government. Blake felt her pulse quicken as she noticed this, each of them was wearing the uniform of a low level guard. This was going to be even easier than she thought. Now all she needed to do was wait.

Part of her was tempted to just make the grab now and be done with the whole business, however she knew that she couldn't risk the chance of m=Merchant escaping, the man was her ticket off this godforsaken island and as such she begrudgingly stayed her blade.

Thankfully it didn't appear that she would have to wait long. After only ten minutes the man in front of him stood with his escort and began their procession towards the back of the church where merchant disengaged from the group and entered the lone confessional booth where her mentor laid in wait.

With a deep shuddering breath Blake stood and began to walk towards the back of the church, her head remaining bowed and her hands folded as if in prayer as she walked towards the pair of men who had come between her and her target.

When she was but a few feet from one of the guards, he stepped forward to redirect her only to find a knife blade being shoved into the center of his chest before he had even the chance to blink. The man fell to the ground clutching the wound as he cried out in his native tongue for aid.

"Intruder!" cried the other guard as he pulled out his musket and took aim at the Female Assassin. However the small girl was far too fast for him and with inhuman level of speed she ran at him, and with one swift action she shoved her blade into the guard's throat, her momentum knocking them both to the ground as the man's hot blood sprayed across her face. Blake winced at the feeling of the warm stickiness that now covered her and the distinct taste of copper that permeated the inside of her mouth as a result of blood splatter, she had always hated this part of the job.

Before she could even move to close the guard's eyes in respect for his death a loud shriek rang out from behind her and she whirled to meet the source as her heart leapt in her chest from shock. Blake never would have expected the sight that greeted her.

There standing in a puddle of blood was her mentor Adam, his sword shoved through the confessional screen, which was meant to separate pastor and disciple, and deep into Stephane Merchants chest. The man's eyes were dark and glassy devoid of any sign of life. Blake felt shock and anger fill her as she pulled her customer Wheelock musket out of its holster and pointed it at her mentor's chest.

"Adam, what the hell do you think you are doing? Our orders where to bring him in alive." She shouted, her voice dripping with venom, as she pulled back the firing pin. Adam just gave her a smile as her removed his blade and Merchants body slumped to the floor, glassy eyed stare coming to rest fixatedly on Blake as Adam began to speak, his tone carefree and nonchalant.

"Sorry Belle, the Templars pay better. This man was going to sell the identity of the Grandmaster and they in turn hired me to insure his silence."

Blake shook with rage and the feeling of betrayal at the utterance of the pet name he had given to her so long ago. Her usual calm demeanor vanishing as she shouted, partly in anger and partly and anguish, at the man she had up until moments before trusted with her own life.

"You traitorous son of a whore, you sided with the Templars? You bastard! Lowering yourself the level of a common hit man. And for what? Money? Women?" Blake spat the last word with all the disgust she could muster as she cocked back the hammer on the pistol" I'll send you to hell for this Adam, you are a disgrace to the order and to yourself. " Blake's finger twitched on the trigger and the musket fired. Unfortunately her uncontrollable shaking caused the shot to go wide and Adam, seeing his advantage, was on her in a second.

She tried to dodge the punch but Adam was far too fast for her. Before she could blink Adams face connected with her jaw knocking her to the ground dazed and confused, unconsciousness threatening her as Adam stood over her for a moment before following up with a kick into her side. An audible crack filled the air signaling the cracking of several of Blake's ribs.

"Seeing as we both have history I am not going to kill you. I hope that one day that you see the Assassins as I see them, a pitiful group devoted to archaic and anarchist ideals that threaten the whole of civilization. I hope that the next time we meet that we shall meet as comrades once more. "he paused when her heard distant shouts coming from outside the Cathedral, coming closer with each passing second. Adam turned his attention back to her and gave her a sickly smile "Until then I suggest you run." And with that he was gone.

Blake struggled to her feet, blinking back tears of pain as she stumbled her way towards one of the stain glass windows along the side of the church. Everything had gone south so very fast and at that moment all she wanted to do was go find a bottle of rum and crawl into a hole until she felt better and could figure out her next step.

Unfortunately it didn't seem she could rest quite yet as she heard a number of guards rushing into the church. Moving as fast as she could she reached into her second holster and taking aim she fired a musket shot through the window, then with a running start she ran towards it and jumped through.

As the ground rushed up to meet her , the only one thought that Blake's pain addled mined was this,

_This is going to hurt…..Alot. Goddess I hate this fucking city._

_**Authors Note: Well that is it for chapter one! I hope you all enjoyed it and please leave me a review to let me know what you think! The release schedule for this is not going to be as regular as my other series but I will try to update it once more in the coming week. Also this is going to be a full on maroon shipping fic as I feel there can never be enough of BlakexRuby. Well that's it for now so until next time take care and Blessed be! **_

_** -Crystal**_


	2. Chapter 2

Drunken Sailor.

The southern port of the city of Vale was,for lack of better term, a wretched hive of scum and villainy. It was no secret that dozens of Pirates and would be Privateers had bribed to local constabulary to overlook the overwhelming number of crimes that where committed in the area. Perhaps the most notable thing the city had actually done to protect itself and its residents was to cordon off the southern section of its port and reserve it specifically for the scoundrels.

It was a lucky thing that the Pirates found this arrangement satisfactory and as a result they stuck within the lawless quarter of the city which had become widely known as Pirates End. It was this lawlessness, this chaos, this _freedom _to be who you want to be and do what you want to do, that attracted young Yang Xiao Long.

Yang had come to Vale, from her homeland in the north, some three years prior seeking to make her fortune in the world by becoming one of the most successful and feared Pirate captain's this side of the Forever Falls. That dream was still a distance ahead however in the meantime she had been able to procure herself a small sloop, outfitted with a modest armament of nine guns and several swivels and a crew of 50 men and women, which she affectionately called the _Spitfire _after its speed and ability to overtake most of the medium sized and larger merchant vessels that sailed.

Yang was a boisterous and loud woman yet not without her beauty. She had long flowing hair the color of the sun, which she kept unbound and allowed to be blown about by the wind. Her eyes were a deep velvety purple that always seemed to glint with the prospect and inevitable promise of mischief.

As was common among her pirate brethren Yang's arms and chest were covered in tattoos. Depicting everything from the image of a leviathan crushing a brig in its grasp during a mighty gale on her chest to the large image of an archaic dragon carrying the sun on its back which dominated most of her right arm. The phrase "tine na gréine" or "Solar fire "was imprinted along the dragon's spine.

The most important thing about Yang however was the fact that, above all else, she was Blake Belladonnas best friend.

Blake glanced up from the brown colored contents of her mug and across the table to meet Yang's eyes. The Assassin had been more than lucky that Yang had been doing _business _in the market square_, _if you could call ransacking the general store in the dead of the night business, when she had looked up to see Blake come crashing out of one of the Cathedrals windows. Thinking of nothing but her friend the Pirate ran to Blake's fallen form, shouting at her crew to take what they could and leave before the local regiment was called in, as she did so.

Upon reaching her friend, Long found her to be badly wounded and unconscious. Thankfully with a bit of help from her first mate the blonde was able to lift Blake's dead weight and quietly whisk her away to an inn on the edge of the Pirates End. It had been here that Blake had spent several weeks recovering from her wounds while her friend watched over her whenever she could. So it was that Blake found herself once more in the debt of the Pirate, a fact that irked her to no end.

"…..Yang, you have done far more for me than I could have ever have hopped and I thank you for that." Blake said in a soft voice, barley even above that of a whisper. The spirited girl took a long swig from her mug before reaching for the musty brown bottle in the center of the table to replenish her supply of rum. As she poured she met Blake's eyes and gave the Assassin one of her trademark smirks as she replied in a voice full of sunshine.

"Think nothing of it mate that is what friends are for is it not? Though do us both a favor and let me know the next time you plan on jumping out of a window when I'm in the middle of a procuring assets, scared me half to death you did."

"Is that what you call stealing from the rich quarter these days?" Blake said cheekily.

"I prefer to look at it as the redistribution of wealth to those who are less fortunate, me being a lowly sea captain happen to fit that description quite nicely and I beg you keep that in mind Blakey" Yang said chuckling as she reached over and playfully ruffled Blake hair, making sure to give the twin cat ears atop her head a good scratch as she did so

Blake smiled despite herself and felt her body relax into the wooden chair, another reason she loved Yang so was her immediate acceptance and disregard for her Faunus heritage it was a refreshing change from the persecution she had gone through as a child. a rare chuckle escaped the black haired beauty as she brought her mug to her lips and took a small sip.

She visible winced at the taste and burning sensation that accompanied the liquor as it slid down her throat causing her to cough violently. It is needless to say that this reaction caused Yang to dissolve into fits of hysterics.

Blake blinked back tears of pain as she tossed her mug in Yang's direction which the blonde deftly dodged as she continued to laugh.

Blake smiled lightly despite herself. Despite everything that had occurred with her old master Yang never failed to cheer her up in some way. It was a strange relationship to be sure, the assassin and the pirate but somehow they nearly always were able to keep their professional lives out of the friendship, it was an unspoken rule between them. It killed Blake that she was going to have to break that rule.

"Listen Yang, I appreciate everything you've done for me over the last few weeks. But I am afraid that I must ask more of you." Blake began, her eyes trying to look anywhere but Yang. The blonde sea captain, sensing the urgency in her friend's voice, raised an eyebrow as she leaned across the table towards Blake so that she wouldn't be overheard as she spoke.

"And just what would you be requesting of m, kitty cat?" All humor was gone from her lilac eyes as she pulled Blake's face up so that their gazes met. "You've gotten me out of a fair amount of scratches Blake, if it's within my power I am more than happy to repay the debt."

Blake took a deep shaky breath and before she could stop herself she spilled out everything that had occurred inside the Cathedral and afterword's. She fought to keep her voice even as told her friend that when she tried warn the other Assassins at Vale's bureau, after she had recovered, she had been greeted with a deserted building. Blake had waited to see if any of her brethren would return however after two days passed it became clear that no one was returning and she had left dejected and afraid.

"What It all comes down to is that I need passage to Beacon , the Assassins main headquarters for this part of the world, and you are the only one I trust to get me there. I entreat you please to consider this, I am willing to pay my way." Blake finished her tale nervously, and

Yang for her part sat in silence throughout her story, offering the odd question at appropriate times which Blake was quick to answer as best she could without endangering the secrecy that surrounded the Assassins organization. When the black haired girl finished her tale the young Pirate leaned back in her chair and let out a long,low, whistle.

"That certainly is quite a mess you've gotten yourself involved in Kitty Cat." She paused for a moment, eyes narrowed in thought as she mulled over the situation before her. Then suddenly her eyes lit up with excitement and upon downing the rest of the contents of her mug she stood and fixed Blake with her stare.

"Alright listen lass, normally I would decline your offer since your precious clubhouse happens to be located in the middle of waters controlled by Atlas but seeing as you're in a pinch I am inclined to help you. On one condition."

It was Blake's turn to be excited as she stood so that she and Yang were at eye level. Her Faunus ears twitching with barley contained nerves as she spoke.

"Name your price Long"

"You said anything correct? You would do anything to see that all debts were paid between us right?"

Blake nodded, gesturing impatiently for Yang to hurry up and get on with it. Yang was not to be rushed however and instead closed the distance between them so that only an inch of space separated their faces. The pirate's hot breath, a heady aroma of Rum and ash, washed over Blake causing her to gag slightly. Yang either didn't notice or more likely didn't care, instead she focused on locking eyes with the Faunus women. Determination clear in her lilac eyes as she spoke.

"I have a friend. I took her in after her family was killed in the north quarter after one of the local governments….cleansings." Yang paused to allow Blake to decipher the full extent of the disgust in her voice before continuing. "Her name is Ruby, she's a sweet girl about your age and at the moment she is living aboard my ship"

"What of it? Surely you're not telling me this so that I will praise you for your extraordinary good deeds, what is your angle?" Blake questioned stepping away from the Pirate, only to be forcible pulled close to her again.

"The angle is this Blake Belladonna, the life of a pirate is not for one that is so young. You know as well as I that if I am ever captured than it is to the gallows that I shall go, as will every single one of my crew or supposed crew, savvy?"

Blake's eyes widened in surprise as the realization of what Yang was asking sunk in, followed by anger as she tried to talk her way out of it.

"And what you think she'll be safer with me? Goddess Yang I am a Assassin. I _kill _people, she will be in as much danger if not more than she goes with me."

Yang's eyes flashed red as she stepped back from Blake and grabbed the bottle of rum and quickly downed its remaining contents. When she was finished she turned back to Blake, her eyes burning a murderous fiery red as she muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

"The deal is this Blake, you want passaged to Beacon than you are going to do as I ask and take this girl under your wing. If not then you are going to have to find another ship and allow me to tell you that no pirate in his right mind would be willing to sail to Atlas with as many pirate hunters sailing her waters as there are."

It was in this moment that Yang knew that she had won and her eyes returned to normal. Blake searched her face for deceit and upon finding none the Assassin let out a groan of defeat as she slumped back down into her chair.

"Fine, Fine! You win I'll take the brat with me when we get to Beacon."

Yang smiled wickedly as she resumed her own seat and signaled the bar for another bottle to be brought out. As the two settled back in Yang chuckled as she took in Blake's determined sulk.

"Ah it aren't as bad as all that Blake. In fact from what she tells me Ruby loves kitty cats."

A deep blush colored the Assassins face and Yang began to laugh.

_**Authors note: Another chapter complete! I hope you are all enjoying it so far! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! It'll be a wee bit before I can get another chapter up as I had a major computer malfunction which resulted in the deletion of several other in progress fanfics so now I have to play damage control and try to get those back or worst case I have to rewrite them. But fear not I shall not keep you waiting for long! Anyway take care and Blessed Be!**_


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